major conflict As Antonio moves from childhood to adolescence, he tries to reconcile his parents’ and his community’s conflicting cultural traditions; Antonio’s goal is independent thought and action; he strives to make his own moral decisions and to accept responsibility for their consequences.

What is the main conflict in Bless Me Ultima?

major conflict As Antonio moves from childhood to adolescence, he tries to reconcile his parents’ and his community’s conflicting cultural traditions; Antonio’s goal is independent thought and action; he strives to make his own moral decisions and to accept responsibility for their consequences.

Why did Ultima accept her death give reason?

She accepts death because she accepted working for life. Antonio is to clean out her room the next day, burn her medicines and herbs, and bury the owl beneath a forked juniper tree. Kneeling, Antonio asks Ultima to bless him.

What are 4 themes found in Bless Me Ultima?

Themes

• Revenge.
• Fear.
• Identity.
• Men and Masculinity.
• Fate and Free Will.
• Memory and the Past.
• The Supernatural.
• Coming-of-Age.

What is the theme for Bless Me Ultima?

Bless Me, Ultima explores the difficulty of reconciling conflicting cultural traditions. In the end, Anaya suggests that a person can draw from several cultural traditions to forge a more complex and adaptable identity.

What does Antonio struggle with in Bless Me, Ultima?

Growing Up. The story of Bless Me, Ultima is built around Antonio’s early coming-of-age experiences. The book is an example of “bildungsroman,” or a tale of the growth of a character, though Antonio has to deal with issues that most six-year-olds don’t have to, like magic, existential religious doubts, and murder.

Why can’t Antonio tell Cico that the golden carp is God?

Cico offers to take Antonio to see the golden carp. After confirming that Antonio has never fished for a carp, Cico asks Antonio if he believes the golden carp is a god. Crestfallen, Antonio replies that he cannot believe in any god except the god of his church because he is a Catholic.

How can tragic consequences of life be overcome according to Ultima?

The tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart. This sentence sums up the major thematic claim of Bless Me, Ultima—through all of life’s injustices and hardships, the power of the human heart prevails.

How does Antonio lose his innocence?

In Rudolpho Anaya’s Bless me Ultima, the main character, Antonio, is forced to grow up too quickly losing his innocence through a series of terrible circumstances. Antonio concerns himself with the loss of his innocence because of his own precociousness and his thoughts of a promising future as a priest.

Why is the owl’s death important?

Its song symbolizes Ultima’s comforting presence in Antonio’s life and the protective power of her magic. At the end of the novel, Tenorio’s killing of the owl literally destroys Ultima’s life force and leads very quickly to her death.

How does Ultima break the curse?

Ultima asks Gabriel to place three bundles on the platform and set it all on fire. Gabriel informs Antonio that his father once told him that the Comanche burned their dead on platforms like this. When the platform is burned completely, Ultima declares that the curse is lifted.